Leaving Care: Literature review

Care leavers are a particularly vulnerable population group who often experience ‘compressed and accelerated’ journeys to adulthood, without the network of support afforded to much of the broader population. Consequently, care leavers often commence their journeys to adulthood from a position of significant disadvantage. Requiring people in guardianship care to leave at age 18, without meaningful ongoing support that replicates that of the family, places an already vulnerable population group at heightened risk and is not a developmentally appropriate approach to supporting the transition to adulthood. These identified concerns have led some international and Australian jurisdictions to provide greater levels of transition and post-care support.
Transitioning from care, however, is a complex, highly personalised journey and support needs cannot be adequately addressed with a one-size-fits-all approach. It is in recognising this complexity, and the importance of getting this work right, that AnglicareSA have commissioned the Social Work Innovation Living Space (SWIRLS) at Flinders University to work with them in developing a comprehensive and innovative practice framework. This rapid review has been conducted as part of this partnership and presents key findings from the literature regarding the essential elements of effective transition planning and post-care support for young people ageing out of guardianship care.